Iaconelli to appear on Jimmy Kimmel

May 18, 2006

CELEBRATION, Fla. — Michael Iaconelli, who won the recent Southern Challenge presented by Berkley, will be a guest on ABC's late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, May 24.

Iaconelli, 33, of New Jersey, will give show host Jimmy Kimmel a lesson in bass fishing. Actor, director and producer Jon Favreau, most known for his 1996 hit, Swingers, and the 2003 holiday comedy, Elf, is scheduled to be a guest that night and will try his hand at fishing as well.

"This is an amazing opportunity," said Iaconelli, who also is promoting the May re-release of his 2005 book Fishing on the Edge in paperback. "I love going to places where you'd otherwise never see fishing. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep breaking the stereotypes and portray bass fishing as it is: an exciting, fun and fast-paced sport."

The show tapes at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., and will air on ABC at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT. BASS members and Iaconelli's fans can request free tickets to the taping through the show's Web site, www.jimmykimmellive.net

Iaconelli is probably one of BASS' most recognized anglers. With much fanfare, he won the CITGO Bassmaster Classic in 2003 and was named to GQ's list of the 10 Most Hated Athletes in 2005. He currently leads the CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year race and is third on the Bassmaster Elite Series Power Index, catching an average of 41 pounds, 6 ounces per tournament.

Iaconelli is fishing the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series this season and qualified to fish the first Bassmaster Major, called the Bassmaster Memorial, taking place this week (May 18-21) in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jimmy Kimmel and Jill Leiderman serve as executive producers and Jason Schrift and Douglas DeLuca serve as co-executive producers. Jimmy Kimmel Live is shot live in front of a studio audience and produced by Jackhole Industries in association with Touchstone Television.